1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to portable toilet devices and, more particularly, to portable toilet devices which include disposable bags.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Portable toilets are used in a number of contexts. For example, toddlers who are being toilet trained often use portable toilets known as potties. Similar portable toilets are often used on camping trips and in motor vehicles. Bedpans, that are used in hospitals and other convalescent care environments, are other forms of portable toilets.
Throughout the years, a number of innovations have been developed relating to portable toilets, and the following U.S. patents are representative of some of those innovations: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,142,847, 3,235,884, 3,619,822, 5,187,819, and 5,611,092. Each of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,142,847, 3,619,822, 5,187,819, and 5,611,092 discloses a portable toilet that has a flat planar floor that rests on a support surface. Each flat planar floor has a bottom surface area that extends the full length and width of the portable toilet. When such a portable toilet is lifted off of the support surface, the entire bottom surface may have to be cleaned if the support surface was dirty, such as in the outdoors. To avoid the need for cleaning an entire bottom surface of a portable toilet, it would be desirable if a portable toilet were provided with several legs that rest on the support surface. Several legs would be easier to clean than an entire bottom surface of a portable toilet.
More specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 3,142,847 discloses a portable toilet that does not include a seat ring which is virtually always included in a fixed toilet. To improve comfort and provide a portable toilet that more closely simulates a fixed toilet, it would be desirable if a portable toilet were provided with a seat ring. In addition, once the temporary need for a portable toilet has passed, the portable toilet is often folded up or packed up and transported to another location. This patent does not disclose a handle that would facilitate carrying of the portable toilet. In this respect, it would be desirable if a portable toilet were provided with a carry handle that facilitates transport of the portable toilet when it is not in use. Furthermore, with this patent, a disposable bag that is employed must be big enough to fit over the full outside length and width of the base portion. As a result, the disposable bag may be relatively large compared to the amount of wastes which it is intended to carry. As a result, significant quantities of bag materials may be underutilized and wasted. In this respect, it would be desirable if a portable toilet were provided that permits the use of disposable bags that are considerably smaller than the full outside length and width of the base portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,619,822 discloses a portable toilet that employs disposable plastic bags that are, in essence, made in the portable toilet itself on a continuous basis. To make the bags, heat sealing apparatus is provided. For purposes of simplicity, it would be desirable if a portable toilet were provided that uses readily available, pre-made, disposable plastic bags.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,187,819 also discloses a portable toilet that has no seat ring, no seat legs, and employs big bags that fit over the full length and width of the base portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,092 discloses a portable toilet that employs a drawer-like base for a container that receives wastes. The container is carried by the drawer-like base is rigid and is not intended to be disposable, and, therefore, must be cleaned for further use and for storage. To avoid time and effort that must be spent to clean non-disposable waste receivers, it would be desirable for a portable toilet to use only disposable flexible bags for receiving wastes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,235,884 discloses a portable nursery chair with folding legs underneath a seat ring and a flexible sheet forming a pot suspended therefrom. It would be desirable if the folding legs were encased completely in a base unit and adapted to be covered when the unit is transported; and it would be desirable if a separate bag holder were used to support an easily disposable bag for containing wastes.
As a matter of interest, U.S. Pat. No. 3,771,493 discloses a container for receiving pet wastes. It is noted that a disposable plastic bag is engaged by lugs on a lid which push through slots on a container. Portions of the disposable bag are pushed through the slots by the lugs and are susceptible to damage, such as tearing, as a result. In this respect, it would be desirable if a disposable bag were retained in a portable toilet in such a way that the disposable bag is not subjected to significant tearing forces.
Still other features would be desirable in a portable potty apparatus. For example, as mentioned above, it would be desirable for a portable toilet to have a seat ring and a holder for a disposable bag that does not subject the disposable bag to significant tearing forces. For purposes of simplicity and economy, it would be desirable if a single integrated structure were provided which had both a seat ring and a disposable bag holder.
With fixed toilets, the seat ring is on a hinge, and when the seat ring is lifted, it rotates around the hinge. To emulate such a fixed toilet, it would be desirable if a portable toilet has a seat ring structure which is connected to a base by means of a hinge and which rotates around the hinge when the seat ring is lifted.
When the portable toilet is being transported, it would be desirable if the portable toilet had both a top cover and a bottom cover to cover both the top and bottom portions of the portable toilet, respectively. Such top and bottom covers would provide a neat looking apparatus for transportation and storage.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use portable toilets, the prior art described above does not teach or suggest a portable potty apparatus which has the following combination of desirable features: (1) has several legs that rest on a support surface and provide stable support; (2) has a seat ring; (3) has a carry handle that facilitates transport of the portable toilet when it is not in use; (4) permits the use of disposable bags that are considerably smaller than the full outside length and width of the base portion; (5) uses readily available, pre-made, disposable plastic bags; (6) uses flexible disposable bags for receiving wastes; (7) has an integrated structure which has both a seat ring and a disposable bag holder; (8) has a seat ring structure connected to a base by means of a hinge and which rotates around the hinge when the seat ring is lifted; (9) has both a top cover and a bottom cover to cover both the top and bottom portions of the portable toilet, respectively; (10) holds a disposable bag in such a way that the disposable bag is not subjected to significant tearing forces; (11) has a unique disposable bag holder with an easy to use flexible retainer member; (12) has a uniquely shaped disposable bag; (13) has a hingedly mounted seat unit with a seat ring which unit may be removed, elevated to a preferred non-use position, or maintained in a down, operative use position; and (14) has a single cover of standard size and configuration which may be used to cover either the top or the bottom of the apparatus when the apparatus is in a folded-up non use storage mode. The foregoing desired characteristics are provided by the unique portable potty apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.
To achieve the foregoing and other advantages, the present invention, briefly described, provides a portable potty apparatus which includes a base unit which includes a top base surface and a bottom base surface. A seat unit is hingedly connected to the base unit. A plurality of folding legs are connected to the bottom base surface. The seat unit includes a seat ring. The top base surface includes a bag ring reception groove for receiving the top portion of a bag holder. A sealing or clamping member attaches the bag holder to the base unit underneath the seat ring. A disposable bag for collecting human waste is adapted to be supported in the bag holder in proximity to the seat ring and the seat unit.
The folding legs include a front leg and a pair of rears. Each of the front leg and the rear legs includes a leg hinge portion which is received in a complimentary leg hinge reception portion in the base unit.
A top cover is provided for connection to the base unit. The top cover includes top cover lock tabs, and the base unit includes lock tab reception slots for receiving the top cover lock tabs. A bottom cover is also provided for connection to the base unit. The bottom cover includes bottom cover lock tabs which fit into the lock tab reception slots. The same cover may be used as the top cover or as the bottom cover.
The above brief description sets forth rather broadly the more important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contributions to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will be for the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining a preferred embodiment of the invention in detail, it is understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood, that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for designing other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved portable potty apparatus which has all of the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved portable potty apparatus which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved portable potty apparatus which is of durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved portable potty apparatus which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such portable potty apparatus available to the buying public.
Still yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved portable potty apparatus which has several legs that rest on a support surface.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved portable potty apparatus that has a seat ring.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved portable potty apparatus which has a carry handle that facilitates transport of the portable toilet when it is not in use.
Even another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved portable potty apparatus that permits the use of disposable bags that are considerably smaller than the full outside length and width of the base portion.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved portable potty apparatus which uses readily available, pre-made, disposable plastic bags.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved portable potty apparatus that uses flexible disposable bags for receiving wastes.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved portable potty apparatus which has an integrated structure which has both a seat ring and a disposable bag holder.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved portable potty apparatus that has a seat ring structure connected to a base by means of a hinge and which rotates around the hinge when the seat ring is lifted.
Still a farther object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved portable potty apparatus that has both a top cover and a bottom cover to cover both the top and bottom portions of the portable toilet, respectively.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved portable potty apparatus which holds a disposable bag in such a way that the disposable bag is not subjected to significant tearing forces.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved portable potty apparatus which has a unique disposable bag holder with an easy to use flexible retainer member.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved portable potty apparatus which has a uniquely shaped disposable bag containing waste material.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved portable potty apparatus which has a hingedly mounted seat unit with a seat ring which unit may be removed, elevated to a preferred non-use position, or maintained in a down, operative use position.
Still yet an even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved portable potty apparatus which has a single cover of standard size and configuration which may be used to cover either the top or the bottom of the apparatus when the apparatus is in a folded-up non use storage mode.
These together with still other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.